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Inimica Tyrannis.
Sidney.
TO George Washington, Esquire, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DURING THE WAR WHICH VINDICATED THEIR LIBERTIES AND ESTABLISHED THEIR INDEPENDENCE. THIS POEM, WITH THE MOST RESPECTFUL DEFERENCE TO HIS CHARACTER AND THE EMINENT SERVICES RENDERED HIS COUNTRY, IS INSCRIBED, BY HIS FELLOW CITIZEN The AUTHOR. Richmond, Va.
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LIBERTY.
[_]
This Poem was written so long ago, as the period of General Arnold's invasion in the year 1780 and 1781.—The XXIst Stanza was added soon after the memorable event which it is intended to celebrate. It may appear that some injustice is done to Holland in the XVth Stanza—but her decision in favor of America was not then known.— The Efforts of Ireland to obtain an Independence of the British Parliament have been more successful, than they are represented in the same Stanza—the Author most sincerely rejoices that the Information, by which he was guided in writing that part of the poem, has so far proved to be without foundation.
It is hoped that the classical reader will excuse the explanation in some of the notes.
I.
Daughter of Heaven, who, with indignant eye,On pomp and pageant royalty look'st down,
Contemning vice, albeit, enthron'd on high,
Nor spar'st the guilty head that wears a crown;
Yet, lur'd by sacred virtue's humbler guise,
The lowly cottager vouchsaf'st to chear,
Where Appenine's majestic cliffs arise,
Or hoary Alps their softier summits rear,
Fair Liberty! inspire thy votary's lay,
And gladden with thy meed life's miserable way.
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II.
Rich the reward that on thy smile attends,Surpassing the bright Ore from Chili's mine,
For which the votive Slave to power bends
His abject Knee at Mammon's guilty Shrine:
Not such the means thy favor to attain,
By toil, and dauntless deeds, alone, secur'd;
To thee unknown the sordid thirst of gain,
An independent mind thine only hoard:
Let wealth and glitt'ring honors deck the Slave,
Freedom, thy joys, alone, are riches to the brave!
III.
Fill'd with thy flame, Achaia's sons of yore,Undaunted met the vaunting Persian's host,
Whose cumbrous navies fill'd the Grecian shore,
Whose countless Legions sadden'd all her coast:
Unnerv'd by Luxury's enfeebling hand,
How vain the Myriads which compos'd his train!
Behold them scatter'd by thy martial band,
While slaughter'd Legions fill'd the glutted main;
Thou Goddess, plum'd on high, thy banners wav'd,
And from degrading Chains thy gallant offspring sav'd.
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IV.
Thy voice by fair Ausonia, too, was heard,And with thy Lore her godlike heroes fir'd,
What time imperial Rome her head uprear'd
And to Fame's loftiest pinnacle aspir'd:
When pride with lust and murder fill'd the Throne
Stern Junius from his seat the Tyrant hurl'd,
Nor deign'd triumphant Rome a Lord to own,
(Herself the mistress of the prostrate world)
Until her sons, subdued by Parthian gold,
In Luxury's soft Lap had chang'd their native mould.
V.
Yet not extinguish'd thy etherial flameWhen Rome to Cæsar's fortunes bow'd the knee,
Then godlike Brutus rose to deathless Fame,
To Deeds of high renown inspir'd by Thee:
'Twas thine alone his patriot soul to warm
The deathful wounds of injur'd Rome to heal;
'Twas thine with force ten fold to nerve his arm,
And plunge in Cæsar's breast the vengeful steel:
Contending claims his generous bosom rend,
The proud Usurper bleeds, whilst he laments the friend!
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VI.
But Rome, ungrateful Rome, thy shrine profan'd,And hugg'd the chains by Tyranny impos'd
Whilst her degenerate sons, with crimes distain'd,
A direful Gulf of Infamy, disclos'd;
Then Gothic ignorance o'erwhelm'd the Land,
With darkness, hideous as the shades of death,
The Lamp of Science lighted by thy hand
Extinguish'd by the rude barbarian breath:
No more the Latian hills invite thy stay,
To rougher climes allur'd, where virtue points the way.
VII.
To Alpine Cliffs the muse attends thy flight,Where the rough Swiss, inur'd to early toil,
On the bleak mountain's snow-surrounded height,
Gleans a subsistence from the scanty soil;
Thy Joys compensate his laborious lot,
And turn to luxury his frugal fare,
A stately mansion seems his humble cot,
A princely bed his couch devoid of care;
Thus while the fates his utmost wishes crown,
On fortune's splendid Gifts he with disdain looks down.
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VIII.
Though on the hoary mountain's rugged brow,Involv'd in storms, thy reverend shrine appear,
Yet dost thou deign thy bounties to bestow,
When virtue seeks thy shield and guardian care:
Thus when Iberia's haughty prince assay'd
O'er Belgia's plains to stretch his scourging hand,
Her warlike sons invok'd thy powerful aid
And Freedom crown'd their toil and native land;
No more beneath the sceptre doom'd to groan
They spurn the Tyrant's rage, and mock his angry frown.
IX.
To Britain, next, the muse her prospect turns,The boasted Land of Freedom, arts, and arms!
There, on thine Altar votive incense burns,
And there, thy name each sanguine bosom warm
The substance fled, the shadow yet remains
To cheat the Eyes that on the phantom gaze;
E'en while they boast, they rattle slavish chains,
To ruin led, through pleasure's wily maze;
If fancied bliss can succour the distress'd,
Britannia's self deluded sons are surely bless'd!
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X.
Yet, ere Corruption spread her golden Lure,And curs'd the Land with it's insidious bane,
Not ancient Greece, nor Rome herself, of yore,
With more devotion hail'd thy glorious reign;
Thy precepts then in Sydney's bosom glow'd,
For thee great Hampden sought and nobly bled;
Then Tyranny beneath thy vengeance bow'd,
Or, trembling, from the Trone the Tyrant fled:
In vain Ambition holds the gilded bait,
He dreads thy threat'ning brow, and shuns a Father's fate.
XI.
Ill-fated Isle! their pristine ardor fled,Thy venal sons, themselves, their setters sorge,
Upheld by them, Oppression rears it's head,
And, aided by themselves, inflicts the scourge,
For while Corruption in the Senate reigns
A Breath can varnish or amend a flaw,
A vote the specious shew of right maintains,
And Tyranny usurps the garb of Law;
Thus while proud Albion Slavery disdains,
She totters with the weight of self-imposed chains.
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XII.
To distant Climes, where Britain once bore sway,While Britain own'd a parent's guardian Care,
The Muse, transported! wings her airy way,
To where Columbia's rising States appear.
Far to the West the varied region lies
From Hampshire's hills to Georgia's fertile shores,
There Allegana's summits greet the skies,
Here, on the Coast the rough Atlantic roars.
These, Goddess blest! thy hallow'd voice obey,
Bend at thy sacred shrine, and court thy blissful sway.
XIII.
Deign, Heavenly maid! to grant their suppliant prayer,And with thy Favour crown their ardent toil;
Be thine, henceforth, a parent's jealous care,
To thee, devoted be the grateful soil:
For thou, when proud Britannia rais'd her arm,
To quench the Flame enkindled by thy breath,
Didst by thy voice provoke the fierce alarm,
Which rous'd their bosoms to encounter death;
Her godlike Synod, then, inspir'd by Thee
To the admiring world proclaim'd Columbia free.
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XIV.
As when that Chief, at whose august commandThe sun stood still on Gibeon's bloody plain,
Through Jordan pass'd into the promis'd land,
By Israel's wand'ring race long sought in vain;
Six days, her towering ramparts to destroy,
Round Jericho's proud walls his squadrons past,
The seventh, amidst triumphal shouts of Joy
The sacred Levites sound a mighty blast;
The tottering City trembles at the sound,
And her devoted walls fall thundering to the ground.
XV.
So trembled Britain at the awful sound,And felt her empire to the Center shake;
Fame spread the tidings to the nations round,
And bade them of thy glorious meed partake:
Then Gallia's patriot Prince held forth his hand
To aid the virtuous struggles of thy race,
Iberia, too, was rous'd at the command,
While cautious Belgia wears a doubting face;
Enrag'd Hibernia shook her chains in Air,
But sunk beneath their weight in Sorrow and Despair.
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XVI.
Ere yet Columbia's sons, whom gentle peaceHad nurtur'd in her Lap with fost'ring smiles,
And taught her Lore, 'midst scenes of rural ease,
Knew ought of hostile arts, or martial toils;
When Britain's vet'ran Legions cross'd the main
Radiant in arms, and swoll'n with angry pride,
Swift, at thy dread command, a gallant train
With dauntless breasts the vaunting foe defied;
Forth burst the flames of war:—the dreadful roar
From hill to hill resounds, and rolls from shore to shore.
XVII.
As when huge Ætna, torn with raging fireFed in its Caves from vast sulphureous stores,
With inward Thunder shakes the distant spires,
And from it's Gulph a flaming Torrent pours;
Down the rough steep the fiery Deluge rolls,
In smoaking Cataracts, it's molten waves,
Like burning Phlegethon! no mound controuls
Th' impetuous Flood!—not flight the victim saves—
For Ocean's bounds the glowing Lava gains,
And woods, and Cities burns, and smoaks along the plains;
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XVIII.
With equal fury, fierce Bellona's firesDire conflagration spread on every side;
Such hostile rage Tissiphone inspires
As when proud Troy detain'd the Spartan Bride;
Or, as when Rome, with more than rival hate,
Intent to seize the Empire of the world,
Like the dread ministers of angry fate,
Destruction 'gainst the walls of Carthage hurl'd:
Nathless, thy sons Britannia's force withstand,
Thy hope inspires their Souls, and still protects the Land.
XIX.
E'en when grim Tyranny with Giant-strideAnd soul devouring Jaws pursued his prey,
His Harpy-Talons all extended wide
To seize th' expiring victim as she lay;
While black Despair sat brooding o'er the Land,
And frowning Fate upheld the doubtful scale,
E'en then, thy fav'rite Son at thy Command
The fierce, terrific Gorgon dar'd assail;
The savage monster bleeds beneath his sword,
And his victorious arm Columbia's hopes restor'd.
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XX.
When from the Regions of the angry northThe storm impetuous scowl'd, as erst of yore,
When Rome beheld it's myriads issuing forth
To wrest the imperial Diadem she wore;
Still, as the low'ring tempest onward came,
And gathering Horrors fill'd the welkin wide,
Sudden disperse the Clouds before thy flame,
And ere their rage begins, the storms subside;
With prosperous Gales the Bark of Freedom glides,
Her distant port beholds, and stems th' opposing Tides.
XXI.
Again, a dim eclipse obscures thy beam,While through the South the mad Tornado flies,
With dreadful flash the livid lightnings gleam,
And deep mouth'd thunders shake the vaulted skies;
Let there be light! Then spake th' Eternal Word,
And darkness fled before thy heavenly Ray;
To peace the jarring Firmament's restor'd,
While Chaos trembling yields his wonted sway:
Fair smiles the Face of Heaven beneath thine eye,
In adamantine Cells the storms imprison'd lie
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XXII.
To latest Time shall the recording pageThe glorious Annals of Columbia tell;
Enrolled there shall live each patriot sage,
And gallant chief who fought, or nobly fell:
Thy name, Great Washington, shall first appear;
Thy Country's ornament, thy Country's shield!
Admiring Ages shall thy Fame revere,
Thou first in Virtue, Council, and the Field!
May Laurels, ever green, thy brows surround,
By Liberty and Fame thy glorious actions crown'd.
XXIII.
On Warren's Tomb the Muse shall drop a Tear,And scatter flow'rets round his hallow'd grave;
Her Grief the gallant Mercer too shall share,
And thou Pulaski, generous as brave;
Thou, too, who didst defy the winter's blast,
Where Wolfe, before thee, met his mortal wound;
Though soon, like his, thy fleeting glories past,
Yet grateful Fame thy dying temples crown'd.
There Arnold, too, the softer-child of Fame,
Won Laurels, barter'd soon for Infamy and Shame.
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XXIV.
A splendid Train of Heroes yet remainsWhose gallant seats are not unknown to fame;
These shall adorn the muse's future strains,
Inspir'd, haply, by thy chearful Flame:
Thy Destiny, De Kalbe, shall then be wail'd,
( By ruthless Britons stript thy bleeding corse!)
Though by surrounding Foes at once assail'd,
Superior numbers felt thy fatal force;
Could Britons learn to reverence the brave,
Not thus unshrouded had'st thou sought thy silent grave.
XXV.
But when the British Lion's savage rageHath spent it's ruthless energy in vain,
When gentle Peace again shall bless the Age,
And thou, fair Liberty, unrivall'd reign;
Columbia, then beware the Fate of Greece,
Nor let internal broils thy strength destroy!
Be thine, amidst thy States to cherish peace,
Lest curst Dissentions all their Bliss annoy.
Fierce Discord should she burst thy fœderal Band,
Shall strait with galling Chains load thy devoted Land.
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XXVI.
Nor let Ambition in thy Bosom rise,Nor Conquest, purple-rob'd, thy sight allure,
Their trappings fascinate unwary eyes,
Though baneful as the robe Alcides wore;
To thirst of empire Rome a victim fell,
For thirst of Empire is a thirst of wealth;
Soon follows Luxury with baleful spell,
The deadliest foe to Liberty, and health:
Far be such fatal Joys remov'd from thee,
Columbia! be thy sole Ambition to be free.
XXVII.
From Britain's ills a further Lesson learn,Nor let Corruption's deadly poison spread;
The venal Caitiff from thy Councils spurn,
And wreak thy Vengeance on his guilty head.
Far rather, like Helvetia's hardy race,
Be poverty and toil thine envied Lot,
If Liberty thy board shall deign to grace,
And smiling Peace adorn thine humble Cot.
Columbia thus shall live to deathless Fame,
Unrivall'd or by Rome, or Britain's vaunted name!
The END.
General Washington's retreat through the Jersies in December, 1776, succeeded by the ever memorable victories of Trenton and Princeton.
Approach of the Army from Canada under General Burgoyne, and it's consequent reduction at Saratoga, October 17, 1777.
Reduction of the Southern States; with their subsequent recovery under the auspices of General Greene.
It was by no means within the compass of so short a poem to do justice to all those who have signalised themselves, in the great contest for the Liberty of America. But the emission of a short tribute to the memory of some of the most distinguished Characters who had fallen in that contest could not have been excused.
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